Wednesday, November 29, 2006

With two days to spare I have completed my challenge! I here by award myself a copy of "Victorian Lace Today" Jane Sowerby's newest lace knitting book.Thank you to my beautiful daughter who challenged me to do this!. I am pumped today!!Now maybe my life can get back to normal.*G* Today is payday and I am getting a colour cartridge so I can print out my winners certificate.Happy dance...I won..I won...Happy dance.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Time is running out and I am so close. As of this morning I am over 35,000 words but I am getting worried that I won't make it. I really want to do this. Tomorrow is my day off and I should be able to get a lot done providing my story goes somewhere. I feel like it is beginning to bog down. I wonder if this is normal or is it the pressure of having to be done in 3 days?

Friday, November 24, 2006

Dexter, is a moody FBI profiler, a specialist in blood spatterwith a Cop sister who has just been promoted to Homicide. At least that is what everyone believes. He is really a serial killer. Now, there is the twist. Of course he only finishes off the bad guys that the court system lets slip through. This program is on Showtime but you can get it if you have Roger's On Demand. It started this season . I am waiting for episode 7 of 12. If you are into something different watch "Dexter."

The week has flown by! I can't believe I only have 7 days left for Nano and I am halfway there. I am going to have to do 4000 words a day to make it with breathing room. Nuts! I had a marvelous time babysitting my grandaughters ,well at least 2 of them, last Friday night and Saturday. I came home and collapsed. Yee god's I guess I am getting older. Naa, more out of practise. Sandy would be proud of me. I actually stood up for my self at work yesterday. One day that door mat will be completely gone from my back. I talked to my son last night and there is a chance he might bring his girls to London for a visit on Saturday. Now that would be nice. Carl and I have a Company Christmas dinner dance to go to in the evening. I have it on good authority, aka Iris from work, that movie to go and see would be "Happy Feet." She recommends it very highly. I have to get some words on my Nano before I go to work this afternoon.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

My brain is suffering from word overload and my back is killing me while I type. I either need a more comfy chair or maybe I will turn the screen so I can sit on the loveseat and type with my feet up. I am begining to think I am going to run out of words. I have never written this much in my life. I never did buy any chocolate I found a left over squashed Halloween mini candy bar and ate that. It was good for about a thousand words. I don't think I want 30 more candy bars.The picture is of a fountain that was uncovered in Pompeii. A Similar fountain is in my story....oops i mean "Novel". The rich certainly lived in luxury. Ok I need to take a break. My goal is to get 5000 words done today. The month is half over already. I am going to take a break and go watch an episode of "Dexter". If you haven't seen it he is a profiler and a serial murderer. It is different! It is on Rogers Demand.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

My parents are and were both veterans of WWII .My father, who passed in 1994, was a Sargent in the Army Medical Corps. stationed at Camp Borden, Ontario. My mother, Private Davies CWAC , (Canadian Women's Army Corps) was the Colonel's Secretary. As my Father, was to joke in future years, The Colonel may have been the Colonel but My mother, Hannah, was the force to be reckoned with. At 81, believe me she still is!!My Grand father, whom I still worship and called "Ernie", was with the Queen's Own Rifles( ONce a Queen's Own always a Queen's Own) at Vimy Ridge in April 1917. The Canadians won a major Battle at Vimy Ridge and it is a wonder that my grandfather survived when Ten Thousand Canadians lost their lives in 10 days. Can you begin to understand the terror of that? We who live with CNN every blessed minute. He was 16 years old! He lied to serve his King and Country. We are so spoiled. These are the people we have to thank for our attitudes. My Grandfather was in charge of the mules who dragged the caissons carrying the cannons to the front lines. Their lives in the trenches were filled with the horrors of the cold muck and dying of their comrades. They used candle wax to kill the lice that lived in the seams of their woolen uniforms. If you weren't careful the hot wax would burn the cotton thread and the uniforms would fall apart.Can you understand that? Can you even imagine what he went through? He was so proud of me I was the light of his life. His only granddaughter. I was one of the reasons he had fought against the "Hun". Then I had 2 brothers and he was in his delight. But the evil that had filled his soul in his youth and the forgetfulness that only comes from "drowning your sorrows" finally took him from us. Too young... too young to loose him.. I could not say his name for almost 20 years without breaking down.The Vimy Memorial was opened in France in1936. There was a lottery draw and my Grandfather , who at that time was working for the Toronto Star Newspaper, had his name drawn as one of the invited guests to go to France , by luxury ship , and be there for the unveiling. There was some concern about his pay envelope and how my father, my young aunt and grandmother would manage in his absence. While he was gone on everypayday a limosine would draw up in front of my grandparents house on Manor Road in Toronto and a pay envelope would be delivered to"Nana" compliments of the Toronto Daily Star.If you ever heard Irving Berlin's song " Oh How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning" you have to know my grandfather was the Bugler. He had an incredible sense of humour and I am sure he loved every minute waking everyone else up! My Father, who wrote in a biography of his father, said that, "He was a faithful husband, a loving father, an Irishman and a gentleman. " He negelected to say, an example to us all.So on the 11 th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour if you think of no one think of the comrades of Ernest Harold Cottrell, Queen's Own Rifles 1914-1917 who in whose memory we began this day and in whose memory we wear the poppy:

In Flanders Flelds the poppies blowBetween the crosses row on rowThat mark the place; and in the skyThe larks still bravely singing flyScarce heard amid the guns belowWe are the Dead. Short days agoWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,Loved and were loved, and now we lieIn Flanders fields.Take up our quarrel with the foe:To you with falling hands we throwThe torch; be yours to hold it high.If ye break faith with us who dieWe shall not sleep, though poppies growin Flanders fields.

To my grandfather, my parents , my brothers, my son and to all who have stood up and said "In this I believe!"Thank you!

...as witnessed by my totally awesome word count. don't break your arm patting yourself on the back my dear Daddy said.So I have not had any time to blog, knit and hardly to bead. I have been so consumed with this "novel(?)" I am writing. I am either researching or daydreaming which BS I am going to propound on next. I now realize the need for chocolates. I think I had better buy a box tomorrow. I am writing tomorrow from 8 am until noon. That is my goal. How many words I will actually type is yet to be seen. I don't hit the word count until I "come up for air" and I am amazed at how fast it adds up. Ask me that when I am on the second 25,0000..Mumma!!I am exhausted I had 2 classes today and the seconds one was by far the most active. I really have to get the ladies to sit at the end of the table. I spent the 2 hours running around the length of the table. I am knackered. I had a wonderful lean cuisine for dinner. Wall paperpaste and soggy socks. I think it was fettucine alfredo. Ya right. I want bread!!! and wine and cheese. My next blog will be of a more serious nature.

Monday, November 06, 2006

I switched to the Beta version (blue) but when I "view blog" I see the other (pink) blog. I don't get this at all. Can you let me know which blog you see? I am hoping when I republish this now everything will be OK. The Beta version is much better when you want to upload anything from pictures to html right onto your blog. I am waiting to see how much better it works after that.Of to work now. I am going to Nano after work before I am on here again. See ya

I get an idea and away I go without thinking it through completely. My gal bladder put a cog in the gears so to speak . But then again I knew I had that when I started. Of course I am talking about my university courses. I realize now I should have signed up for just one at a time. I didn't realize there would be so much work to do. So I think I am just going to work on one at a time and I can get an extension for the other one. Just making that decision has given me some relief. Now I am in the middle of Nanowrimo. Oh, geeze why do I do these things. I am enjoying it though. I will put my energies into getting the English credit and then reward myself with the archaeology course.With that thought I have put my english books aside to take to work this morning. I am going to start taking my full half an hour breaks. I usually take 10-15 minutes and then go back to work. Well, that 30 minutes is mine and I could better use the time reading. I will keep this up and keeping a journal is something I am required to do and anyway I like the venting process. It is always easier to think when you put the words down in front of you. It unclutters the mind.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Oh I am tired. We went out to dinner last night with friends and of course I ate too much. The cesear salad ( created at our table) was wonderful. Considering the last time I ate one was in Jume and that precipitated the whole gal bladder attack thing, well, I really enjoyed this one. Dinner finished up with cherries jubellie oh joy oh bliss. Then we were off to Gord and Dot's place where we sang kareoke..what a hoot. No sleeping in today we both have to be out to work. I wish I had the time right now to do more on my Nano. I had an idea where to go next. Shucks.

Friday, November 03, 2006

I admit to feeling a little smug. Yes, I know, "Pride goeth before a fall." My germ of an idea is beginning to grow and I am amazed how the words are running out of my fingertips. Tomorrow I really want to get a lot written in the morning while it is quiet and I am fresh. The shower is a really wonderful place to think. It must be all that water pulsing on the brain. I actually solved a storyline problem I had. I should write it down before I forget. I am going to backup this "novel" and use the term loosley, for fear something will happen and I will loose all the drivel I have written so far. No wouldn't that be a killer?I am going to get my nails done before I go to work. My budjet will allow for that one little extra other than that I am broke until next payday. all my obligations are covered but that 52 hours hurt worse than the surgery...lolMy spirit doll is progressing along very nicely. I am almost finished the beading and will start on the construction next week. The image at the top is a hint what I am going to tackle next. More to follow. I have to check the class schedule, I know I have 2 in one class tonite I hope that's the only class I have today. ttfn

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Last night I sat and wrote almost 2000 words of unmitigated drivel. Then I sat down and tried to plan where I am going in this story and what my outline or goal will be. Things are not looking too promising..lolol.. This will never be published..The re write would be horrendous. about the only thing I would keep would be the title.I posted a word counter but for some reason I can't see it. I cleared my history but it still isn't there. Hmm I will check on the computer at work and see. Does anyone see my word counter? I may have to S.O.S Richard.This is the dreaded 10 hour day today. I am less than impressed with work lately. I guess being away for two and half weeks and them coming back to find that nothing had improved was a little sobering. I feel so underappreciated. It sucks to be in this position. Oh well, I don't really have any other option so suck it up and get to work.